Author: Akin Naphtal

Huawei has announced that Ms. Sabrina Meng will take over as Rotating and Acting Chair of the company from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. This leadership change follows Huawei’s Rotating Chair system. During her term, Ms. Meng will serve as the head of the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. Ms. Meng, who currently holds the positions of Deputy Chairwoman, CFO, and Rotating Chairwoman at Huawei, has been a key figure in the company’s growth and transformation since she joined in 1993. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Meng has played a pivotal role in shaping Huawei’s financial structure…

Verizon Communications and Vertical Bridge have announced a $3.3 billion agreement in which Vertical Bridge will acquire the exclusive rights to lease, operate, and manage 6,339 wireless communication towers across the U.S. from Verizon subsidiaries. The transaction, structured as a prepaid lease, will see Verizon receive approximately $2.8 billion upfront in cash. As part of the agreement, Verizon will lease back capacity on the towers for an initial 10-year period, serving as the anchor tenant, with options to extend the lease for up to 50 years. The deal also allows Verizon to access additional space on the towers, subject to…

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has unveiled a new online resource, the Observatory on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Work in the Digital Economy. The Observatory aims to become the world’s leading international knowledge hub on AI’s impact on the workplace. The platform will provide evidence, analysis, and expert insights across four key areas: AI’s effects on employment and productivity, algorithmic management, digital labor platforms, and the handling of workers’ data. The initiative comes in response to AI’s growing influence in transforming work environments globally. At the launch event, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo stated, “We recognize that workplaces are being transformed…

The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization (MoCD), through the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in collaboration with UNESCO today, launched the Readiness Assessment Measurement (RAM)-Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Accra. The event aimed to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could be ethically used in Ghana and the role of AI in shaping the country’s future across various sectors. The Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful ( MP) reflected on the transformational impact AI is expected to have on every aspect of life within the next five years. She shared her thoughts on the parallels between AI development…

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is expected to reach a major milestone this week, surpassing 4 million customers, according to company President Gwynne Shotwell. She shared the news during her testimony before Texas House Appropriations Committee. The milestone, later confirmed by SpaceX, highlights the rapid growth of the service, which gained 1 million new subscribers since the end of May alone. Starlink’s expansion has been remarkable. Launched in beta in October 2020, the service reached 1 million subscribers by December 2022, doubled to 2 million by September 2023, and hit 3 million in May 2024. With nearly 6,000 satellites now…

Data Vault Holdings has partnered strategically with CLEAR, a leading security identity platform, to enhance its Know Your Customer (KYC) solutions. This collaboration follows Data Vault’s definitive asset purchase agreement to sell its Datavault and ADIO IP and IT assets to WiSA Technologies,. It reinforces its leadership in data visualization, valuation, and monetization. By integrating CLEAR’s technology, Data Vault Holdings will bolster the security, compliance, and trust of its user accounts, particularly in securing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights such as voice, appearance, and copyrighted material. The partnership ensures seamless integration of KYC processes into Data Vault’s Information Data…

SITA, a global leader in air transport technology, is set to transform Indian airports by installing its cutting-edge Smart Path technology across nine airports in partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The collaboration is part of India’s broader DigiYatra initiative, which aims to modernize the aviation industry by providing a seamless, paperless travel experience through advanced biometric solutions. SITA’s technology, including Smart Path, Passenger Flow Management (PFM), and Face Pods, will enable a contactless, streamlined journey for passengers at airports in Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur, Bagdogra, Patna, Goa (Dabolim), and Coimbatore. The system integrates biometric verification at…

South Korea’s LG Display has announced plans to sell its majority stake in a large liquid crystal display (LCD) plant in Guangzhou, China, to TCL’s LCD unit, CSOT, for 10.8 billion yuan ($1.54 billion). The sale will include LG Display’s 80% stake in the LCD panel plant and 100% ownership of its LCD module facility, with the transaction expected to close by March 2025. LG Display arrived at this decision due to its aims to focus more on its more competitive organic light-emitting diode (OLED) business, as the LCD market becomes increasingly saturated. The company plans to use the capital…

US tech giant, Microsoft, has announced its intention to invest 14.7 billion reais ($2.7 billion) in Brazil, aimed at enhancing cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in Latin America’s largest economy. Brazilian Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, welcomed the announcement, highlighting Brazil’s role as a future global leader in AI and noting the country’s renewable energy capacity, which will help power the expanding datacentre network. This marks the largest single investment Microsoft has ever committed to Brazil, and the tech giant has stressed that widespread AI adoption could boost Brazil’s economic growth by 4.2 percentage points by the end of…

Avaya, a global leader in Enterprise Customer Experience (CX), has announced the appointment of Fadi Moubarak as Vice President for Sales and Channels in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. Based in Dubai, Moubarak brings 34 years of experience in the IT industry and has been with Avaya for over a decade. He previously led the company’s channel business in the EMEA and APAC regions, during which he successfully evolved Avaya’s channel programs and built strong relationships to help partners meet customers’ experience transformation needs while ensuring business growth. With his deep knowledge of the region he will now…